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paintapastime — MLP Tutorial: Adding Manes and Tails to Bases

Published: 2012-01-02 19:16:53 +0000 UTC; Views: 40958; Favourites: 679; Downloads: 771
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Description The image is a very large file, and I apologize for that.


*I do make icons for those who, for whatever reason, cannot make ones of their own. I do not require or ask for any sort of payment. All I want is to help you guys out and for you to find this tutorial useful!

This is a tutorial on how to add manes and tails to the My Little Pony bases provided by ~medli96 , used with her permission. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me via personal message or comment on this tutorial.

Female Bases: [link]
Male Bases: [link]

MLP Creator: [link]

Links:
Animation Site: [link]
Photoshop Tutorials: [link]
Paint.Net Tutorials: [link]
GIMP Tutorials: [link]
Microsoft Paint Tutorials: [link]

Question: What should we save each slide as?
Answer: If you want the image to remain transparent, save it as a .PNG file. If you have added a background, .PNG is still the best option, but .JPG or .JPEG will work as well.

Question: How do you select a mane/tail with two different colours?
Answer: It depends on the tool you use and the program you’re working on, but generally, if you hold CTRL+Shift, that will allow you to select multiple areas without losing your previous selections.

Question: I’ve tried resizing and drawing the mane/tail, but it still looks crummy! Do you have any other tips?
Answer: If you resize by percentage rather than pixels, it can sometimes give you a cleaner image. There are various tutorials on DeviantArt that I’ve seen that show you how to resize by percentage.

Question: I have a favorite mane, but it’s in Pony Maker on Facebook/on another drawing/elsewhere. Can I use the same concept for that?
Answer: You most certainly can! It may be more difficult without the transparent background or line colors, but by all means, apply this tutorial wherever you feel like it.

Question: I’m trying to select the mane/tail, but I have a touchpad and my hand is anything BUT steady.
Answer: This is a bit more tedious, but if you zoom in enough, you can employ the CTRL+Shift option and select the mane/tail a few pixels at a time. It takes a lot of work, but it will get you reliable, precise results in the end.

Question: I am using GIMP/Paint.Net/Microsoft Paint/another program that doesn’t offer the tools you describe in the tutorial. What can I do?
Answer: Unfortunately, I’m rather inexperienced with other types of programs, having used Photoshop CS2 for most of my editing days. I can answer your specific question to the best of my ability, but if my answer seems vague or incorrect, there are plenty of tutorials you can view on blogs, official sites, and through Youtube videos that will be of astounding help. It’s where I get all of my information! I have placed a few links to the more popular image editing software above. If the program you are employing is not on that list, let me know and I’ll find some good tutorials for you and add them to the list.

Do you have a question that isn’t answered in this list or on the tutorial? Send me a comment or a note! I will be delighted to assist you.
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Comments: 616

paintapastime In reply to ??? [2012-03-10 15:57:47 +0000 UTC]

I haven't used Paint.Net in some time, but if I remember correctly, you can select the image with any selection tool, and then you should be able to use the Move Selected Pixels tool, which looks like a blue arrow with a black moving cross on the bottom right, and resize by clicking and dragging the little box nubs around the image.

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TwilightViper In reply to ??? [2012-03-08 11:32:28 +0000 UTC]

If me, I would trace it and I post it to a new image. then copy and pasting.

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paintapastime In reply to TwilightViper [2012-03-08 15:14:09 +0000 UTC]

That could work too I tried it, though, and if you don't use the right brush or aren't well-versed in pixel art, it can wind up looking sloppy and blurry

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TwilightViper In reply to paintapastime [2012-03-09 01:50:55 +0000 UTC]

Oh... But I'm okay. Cuz I do pixel well.

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paintapastime In reply to TwilightViper [2012-03-09 02:12:39 +0000 UTC]

Haha, then go with it

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pokemongirl87 In reply to ??? [2012-02-24 01:38:26 +0000 UTC]

AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH. Even though I put .png after the name, IT WON'T WORKK!!! ...and I'm REALLY ANNOYED, as you can see. Can you heelpp?!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

paintapastime In reply to pokemongirl87 [2012-02-24 04:17:46 +0000 UTC]

Oh no D: What is the exact file name you saved it under and what program are you using?

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pokemongirl87 In reply to paintapastime [2012-02-25 16:57:13 +0000 UTC]

I saved it under Mypony.png and I'm using Paint. THe one that automatically pops up on the computer in my family

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paintapastime In reply to pokemongirl87 [2012-02-26 01:18:08 +0000 UTC]

Huh, I'm not sure what's going on. When you try to open it, does it not open at all, or...?

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pokemongirl87 In reply to paintapastime [2012-02-27 02:28:46 +0000 UTC]

No, the backround isn't transparent, it's white...aaaand now it won't let me copy it.

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paintapastime In reply to pokemongirl87 [2012-02-27 03:01:52 +0000 UTC]

I'm sorry. It might just be Microsoft Paint. I don't think Paint allows transparency. If you want, you can download Paint.Net for free. It's like Photoshop, and if you download it from the main site, it's virus-free

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firlalaith In reply to ??? [2012-02-22 21:24:38 +0000 UTC]

Just wondering, would this method work on other images (specifically, manes from drawings) do you think?

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paintapastime In reply to firlalaith [2012-02-22 21:37:02 +0000 UTC]

I think so. I don't see why it wouldn't, anyway. The concept appears to be basic enough. If you have any trouble though, let me know

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firlalaith In reply to paintapastime [2012-02-22 21:41:32 +0000 UTC]

I will do that.

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paintapastime In reply to firlalaith [2012-02-22 21:44:02 +0000 UTC]

Thanks Best of luck!

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FanficWarrior In reply to ??? [2012-02-20 03:46:05 +0000 UTC]

What if You use MS paint, because that's what I use

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

paintapastime In reply to FanficWarrior [2012-02-20 04:11:39 +0000 UTC]

Personally, I would recommend downloading Paint.Net to help with resizing the mane and tail and making the background transparent. It's free, and has no malware or viruses when you download it from the official website. If you can't download Paint.Net, then trial and error with the resizing is, as far as I am aware, the only option. I am told that there are websites you can use to animate images such as [link] and [link] , though I have not personally tried any and don't know which ones are the best or most reliable.

If worse comes to worse and none of the above options work for you, I'll happily make the icon for you

👍: 0 ⏩: 2

FanficWarrior In reply to paintapastime [2012-02-20 14:32:51 +0000 UTC]

Iaza.com is the best for frame animation

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

paintapastime In reply to FanficWarrior [2012-02-20 15:59:21 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for letting me know

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

FanficWarrior In reply to paintapastime [2012-02-20 16:00:45 +0000 UTC]

i downloaded it

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paintapastime In reply to FanficWarrior [2012-02-20 16:02:03 +0000 UTC]

Oh, okay, sweet

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FanficWarrior In reply to paintapastime [2012-02-20 14:31:30 +0000 UTC]

Ok

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Imor-Tull In reply to ??? [2012-02-05 18:01:59 +0000 UTC]

How do i export it as a .gif file? :c

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paintapastime In reply to Imor-Tull [2012-02-05 19:17:04 +0000 UTC]

It depends on what program you're using. What program do you have? I can walk you through how to do it

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paintapastime In reply to Imor-Tull [2012-02-05 19:16:20 +0000 UTC]

It depends on what program you're using. What program do you have? I can walk you through how to do it

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Imor-Tull In reply to paintapastime [2012-02-05 19:36:02 +0000 UTC]

I have gimp

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Cpwiser10 In reply to Imor-Tull [2012-03-25 14:38:50 +0000 UTC]

Save as, _____.gif

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paintapastime In reply to Imor-Tull [2012-02-05 19:50:55 +0000 UTC]

[link]

Skip to the last step and see if that helps

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Imor-Tull In reply to paintapastime [2012-02-05 19:53:59 +0000 UTC]

I have all of the base coloured and mane/tail done. I'm just looking how to export it as a gif.

👍: 0 ⏩: 2

firlalaith In reply to Imor-Tull [2012-02-22 21:14:04 +0000 UTC]

I use GIMP all the time. I can help you.

1. Go to File -> Save As
2. A popup menu will appear. First make sure you are in the folder where you want to save your file to, then in the name textbox at the top of the menu, type the name you want your file to have, then at the end of the file name add the extension you want (in this case '.gif'). There has to be a period between the file name and the extension, or the computer will consider the extension as part of the file name.
3. Once you have done that, click the save button at the bottom of the menu.
4. An "error" message will likely pop up, asking you for input. Select the appropiate options and then it will save it as a gif.

Hope that helps.

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paintapastime In reply to Imor-Tull [2012-02-05 19:59:13 +0000 UTC]

You should just be able to go to File - Save a Copy, and then where it says "Select File Type", click the .gif option. Unfortunately, I've never used GIMP, so I'm not very familiar with the way it works

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Imor-Tull In reply to Imor-Tull [2012-02-05 18:05:24 +0000 UTC]

Also, i'm using gimp.

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Iceflower-Nya In reply to ??? [2012-02-05 10:32:34 +0000 UTC]

can you make a icon for me ._.
i cant this

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paintapastime In reply to Iceflower-Nya [2012-02-05 17:16:24 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, I'll be happy to

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Iceflower-Nya In reply to paintapastime [2012-02-06 14:52:37 +0000 UTC]

DD

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Ponymagic4ever In reply to ??? [2012-01-27 20:55:57 +0000 UTC]

HELP MY CROPPIN TOOL SUX

👍: 0 ⏩: 2

paintapastime In reply to Ponymagic4ever [2012-01-27 23:04:27 +0000 UTC]

Haha. Want me to make the icon for you?

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Ponymagic4ever In reply to paintapastime [2012-01-27 23:27:07 +0000 UTC]

thx but i fixed it.

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Ponymagic4ever In reply to Ponymagic4ever [2012-01-27 21:19:30 +0000 UTC]

nevermind fixed it yay

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paintapastime In reply to Ponymagic4ever [2012-01-28 15:49:50 +0000 UTC]

I looked at the icon you uploaded, and I see the problem now. Your icon is more than 50 x 50 pixels. You'll want to crop the canvas on each frame so that just the blue frame is showing on the borders. Nothing more and nothing less. That should fix it.

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deviantbrony In reply to ??? [2012-01-23 21:46:13 +0000 UTC]

I'm the only one that can't make one properly.

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paintapastime In reply to deviantbrony [2012-01-24 00:54:10 +0000 UTC]

I can help you out if you like. What issues are you having?

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deviantbrony In reply to paintapastime [2012-01-24 03:04:16 +0000 UTC]

The mane part confuses me so badly.

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paintapastime In reply to deviantbrony [2012-01-24 04:43:00 +0000 UTC]

I'm sorry to hear that What program are you using? Maybe I could walk you through it

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deviantbrony In reply to paintapastime [2012-01-24 05:14:12 +0000 UTC]

Photoshop.

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paintapastime In reply to deviantbrony [2012-01-24 05:39:04 +0000 UTC]

Alright, that's what I use too. Which part do you get stuck on?

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deviantbrony In reply to paintapastime [2012-01-24 06:09:11 +0000 UTC]

The mane and tail.

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paintapastime In reply to deviantbrony [2012-01-24 16:30:42 +0000 UTC]

But like, which step? I can't help you if I don't know the exact problem you're having.

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deviantbrony In reply to paintapastime [2012-01-24 19:40:59 +0000 UTC]

Making the mane and tail be more less "attached" to the pony.
I've already figured the tail but the mane is kinda hard to do.

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paintapastime In reply to deviantbrony [2012-01-24 20:18:44 +0000 UTC]

What I usually do is, I zoom in as close as I can get, and I situate it on the first frame to where I want it. Once it's situated, I look at where exactly the outlining pixels match up with the pony, and I try to match each frame afterward perfectly with the first one

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